ALPHADROME ROBOT AND SPACE TOY DATABASE

Vintage Robots

MECHANIZED ROBOT, EARLY BLACK VERSION - NOMURA - JAPANTin battery op Robby. Advances with walking motion as the dome lights, pistons move up and down and antenna turn. This is the early version with pin style pulls on the battery box doors. TN

Currently dated to 1957.

Image Smith House Auctions

MEGO MAN - SY/YONEYA FOR MEGO - JAPANLithographed tin wind up robot. This unusual robot is a copy of the Ideal Mr Machine. Advances with wheels turning as his arms and legs move and bell rings.

Red and silver face versions shown.

On sale in August 1961.

MESSAGE ROBOT - TOYBOX - JAPANHeight: 5.5" (to top of robot's head) 7" (to top of sign) Manufacturer is Toybox, Japan. Decals on both sides of the head say: Message Robokun-1. Actions: Robot walks sideways while waving sign back and forth and opening and closing its mouth. Embossed on the bottom of the left foot: TOYBOX MADE IN JAPAN PAT. P. Wind up plastic robot - Sweeping Robot style.

There is a mask with cut out slots, large and smaller "Sparks". Behind that there is a wheel of translucent plastic with colored "sparks" and darkened sections. This wheel has the same pattern as the mask. the wheel turns round with a light behind it: Sometimes the wheel is in phase with the mask then you have bright, single colors. Some times it is out of phase and you have some spluttering of various colours.

The Mighty Robot appears in the 1963-1964 Masudaya catalog.

Masudaya may have been influenced by the Horikawa style of robot. This design may reflect the interests of the factory commissioned to make the robot.

Some version have a very basic brass ratchet strip attached to the soles of the feet to control the forward movement of the wheels.

MIGHTY ACTION ROBOT - ILLCO - HONG KONGBlue plastic battery op robot. Shooting guns, smoke. Galaxy style. This is a Hong Kong issue of the Junior toys Dynamic Fighter. Illco made two of these versions. The first had plastic eyes and was a close a copy of the Dynamic Fighter with clear plastic guns. Later versions show the effect of cost cutting with paper decals for eyes and a generally inferior finish.
The robot on the left has plastic eyes and a tin chest. The robot on the right has paper decals for eyes and a paper decal chest. Hong Kong

A newspaper ad dates this to October 1978.

MIGHTY MIDGET ROBOT - TELSALDA/KENT - HONG KONGHong Kong releases of the original Tomy Minirobot design The small wind up robot has a single piece head and body with little arms attached. Black stepover feet. Several color variations. Box variations include the Geeta-Man and the Rays Miniature Robot. See also the Geeta-Man Miniature Robot.

The yellow version is marked KENT and has a bigger box.

MIGHTY ROBOT - YOSHIYA - JAPANTin and plastic battery operated. Metallic blue body. Red plastic arms. Transparent plastic head with many visible plastic gears. Advances with mystery action as the lights inside his head spin and gears on both sides of his head turn. He also emits a clicking noise. KO skirt. This robot only appears with the plastic arms.

First catalog sighting 1965.

MIGHTY ROBOT aka ATHLETE ROBOT - YONEZAWA - JAPANTin and plastic wind up. Circa 1965. Advances with walking motion as he flexes his arms. The nickname 'Athlete Robot' is used to distinguish it from other Mighty Robots and its a very apt choice considering its action. This is one of the larger wind up robots, with a big, strong motor to drive it. Its principal feature is the movement of the arms: they rise and flex in a typical bodybuilder manner. Other robot have arms which lie at right angles to the body (Yonezawa Space Explorer, Alps TV Spaceman) but none have this articulated forearm. Yonezawa Item No 811.

The substantial tin body has considerable litho dial detailing. There is a very large grey plastic head with clear red plastic eyes, nose and mouth.

The box art is a plain picture of the toy on an equally plain two-tone background. There is a rarer box variation. (Image?)

There are two distinct versions of the Mighty Robot. One has a key on the back and the other has the key mounted on the side. The possible reason for the change was that the key at the back was inclined to pierce the box bottom. A box carrying the number 4044 has robot with a key on the back, and a box with 5055 has a robot with a key on the side. Boxes and robot easily get swapped so this is not a firmly establihed rule. There are many exceptions.

MIGHTY ROBOT WITH SPARKING - DAITO - JAPANThis bronze lithographed tin robot has the appearance of flattened cyclinder. The litho has rivet detailing with white and pink lines. Wind up with spark action. The robot body, head and legs are all part of one structure: two halves are crimped together. There is a little red plastic spark window in the chest. The long red plastic arms. A fixed plastic key is attached to the side. In action the robot rolls forward while the chest sparks. 5" 13cm Date?

MINI ROBOT - AHI? - HONG KONGThe Mini Robot is a unique design with a comic appearance. This 6.5" (15cm) plastic battery operated robot has a cylindrical silver body with red legs and feet, and chrome silver arms. The head is an unusual green plastic sphere with a glitter effect. Inside the dome are eyes set on a stalk. There's a simple geometric decal in the chest. No maker's mark on the box. Part No T52

Walking action with flashing light in the head and a clicking noise.

A clue to the maker may lie in the fact that the paper decal on the chest is the same one as used on the AHI Space: 1999 Walking Spacemen. (inset)

MINI WALKING ROBOT - TPS - JAPANSmall silver chrome wind up robot with stepover feet. Four distinctive circular dials in the chest. Several box versions. Sold in trade boxes of a dozen. 8cm

MINI-MATE PETE THE SPACEMAN - BANDAI - JAPANSmall red and white plastic battery operated spaceman. Comical or cartoon styling. White helmet with visor. Gun in hand. Uses two AA batteries that are clamped exposed on the back to resemble oxygen cylinders. Sold in a window box and in a blister card version.

MINI-ROBOT SET - GAKKEN - HONG KONGA set of two mini-robots. Each small plastic robot has a clear chest with a visible motor. A battery pack can be attached to power the robots. A variety of additional items allow customization of the robots: wheels, ramp, buggy etc. Lili Ledy of Mexico may also have made this set. Sold in a plain brown box.

MINIROBOT - TOMY - JAPANThis is the original version of a much copied robot. The small wind up robot has a single piece head and body with little arms attached. Grey stepover feet. Several color variations. Mini Robot

See also the Geeta-Man, Rays Miniature Robot and Mighty Midget versions.

MISSILE ROBOT - FIRST VERSION - HORIKAWA - JAPANBlack tin and plastic battery operated robot. Black chestplate with white and red dials. Rotates. The major innovation here is the addition of the two sets of missiles on either side of the head, replacing the ears. New in 1979 SH catalog art 5044

Japanese and English box versions. The robot faces towards the left. Distinctive chrome toecaps on the feet.

A later version of this robot was produced with a red plastic visor face.

MISSILE ROBOT - HORIKAWA - JAPANA prototype robot from the Metal House archive. The body is from a Dino Robot and the head is the Attacking Martian fly eye.

MISSILE ROBOT, LATER VERSION - HORIKAWA - JAPANBlack plastic battery operated robot with a red and yellow tinplate chest panel. Walks with sound, stops and then rotates with gun firing and flashing lighted eyes. The head has a large red lighted plastic visor. Missiles on either side of the head, replacing the ears. This robot is featured as a new item, No 5063, in the 1981 Horikawa catalog.

English and Japanese box versions. The robot faces towards the right

MISTER BRAIN - REMCO - USAPlastic battery op robot. "The Tru-Smoke robot with a memory". Programmed with one of the disks inserted into the back to control movement. Blows smoke from head. 1969
United States

The action is started by lifting the chrome silver plastic dish antenna. The robot is over 11 inches tall. The box carries the NGS logo, a company that seems to have subcontracted toy production.

This robot is the forerunner of similar Cragstan robots produced in HK: the Ranger Robot and Magnor Robot. It is, however, significantly different in detail.

MISTER SCREWBALL JR - FRANKONIA - HONG KONGThis is a novel multicolored wind up plastic robot. It is a play on the expression "Screwball", literally a yellow ball shaped robot into which bolts can be screwed. The mechanism and function is also the same, you turn the screw on top of the big bolt and Mr. Screwball starts to wobble forward, more a short shaking action than walking.

The quality of this toy is a bit worse than the Nuts N Bolts Robots version, which is far better designed and produced. The bolts do not really fit well in the holes and are easiliy destroyed if you do not act with care. This might be a reason why so few of this toy have survived.

1967 is written in Roman numerals on the box. , so this toy is actually the predecessor/forerunner of the Nuts N Bolts Robots, which was made in 1969.

mr screw ball junior

MODERN ROBOT - YONEZAWA - JAPANTin battery operated skirted robot with bump and go action: "Automatic Maneuvering Actions". Basically identical to the sliver Cragstan Robot complete with the lightning bolt on the chest plate. The only difference is the name on the chest plate: Modern Robot. . The box art is also identical except for the name and removal of the Cragstan logo. A Modern Robot was advertised the Indiana Gazette in December 1964.

Note that the robot has same yellow battery box with red and white batteries drawing as the Directional Robot.

MONSTER ROBOT - 369 ANTENNA VERSION - MIKE TOY - TAIWANBlack plastic battery op robot 80s. 319 on chest. Stop and Go with opening top to reveal animal (tiger?) head. Available in other colors and head shapes. Based on a SH design. Similar to Empire Robot Monster

MONSTER ROBOT - HORIKAWA - JAPANPlastic battery operated robot made in the 1980s. Stop and Go with opening top to reveal a lighted dinosaur head very similar to the head of Dino Robot. 9" 23cm. Available in a green and blue body versions with yellow arms and grey legs. Decal with "123" on the chest. This is the original version of this very successful robot design, much copied by other manufacturers.

The blue version has the logo SH on the box. Some green versions have SH on a side panel, though others have an Alps logo. The green version is described as new in the 1985 SH catalog. All SH robots are stamped "Japan" on the battery door.

MONSTER ROBOT, GREEN VERSION - MAKER? - TAIWANGreen plastic battery op robot 80s Taiwan 5080 Stop and Go with opening top to reveal dinosaur. 9 Inch GE 1298A is covered with a 5080 sticker. Available in other colors and head shapes. Based on a SH design.

MONSTER ROBOT- BLUE VERSION - TAIWANBlue plastic battery op change monster robot. Maker? 123 on the chest. This is a SH design though it is often manufactured in Hong Kong and more recently in Taiwan. The green version has been dated to 1984. Other colour versions exist along with box variations and changes of the chest digits eg 369. Replace image.

Two versions exist: one has a lithographed panel depicting complex machinery on the front and is marked X-25 on the back. It comes in a portrait format box showing Dr Moon on a spaceship.

The other version has a plainer, deeper blue chest panel depicting a safe door with the wording Doctor Moon. The box for this version has a landscape format and shows Dr Moon as a crazy surgeon at an operating table.

It is one of a group of Alps robots based on the same molds: Rocket Man (1963) Moon Explorer (1966) and Missile Robot. It bears a strong resemblance to the Alps Television Spaceman but the scale of the components is appreciably larger. The metal antenna, however, is the same. This robot has only been confirmed with the metal antenna - just like the box illustration.

The first sighting of the Moon Explorer is in Alden's Catalog for 1966.

Unlike its TV Spaceman cousin, there do not appear to be any significant variations of this robot, suggesting that it had a relatively short production run.

The Bandai reference is taken from the box: it appears that this robot was made by Bandai for Alps, but this connection hasn't been fully researched.

MOON EXPLORER - AMICO? - HONG KONGPlastic battery operated version of the original SH astronaut. Cheap and flimsy construction. Rotates. Hong Kong. White and black plastic versions;, the picture box shows a black version. Also released in a French language box as La Lune Explorateur.

The Moon Explorer has the distinctive large silver chest emblem with the red circle in the centre - unlike the "wings and doors" of the Mr Astronaut and Zero of Space.

There are two versions of the robot:
Left: Stylized C logo on the helmet and below the chest plate. This is a Cragstan logo and probably marks the earlier verion

Middle and right: HK logo on the helmet and below the chest plate. Newspaper adverisement dates this to November 1969.

Salco Cragstan group

MOON EXPLORER - YOSHIYA - JAPANRed tinplate friction astronaut robot with astronaut head under a clear plastic dome surmounted with a rotating four arm antenna. The robot has twin air tanks. Crank action with an inertia waddling motion. Box says "Clear Plastic Helmet with Ray Counter". Also sold in a box variation as the Cragstan Astronaut. KO On sale in November 1962.

MOON EXPLORER X-15 ASTRONAUT - YOSHIYA - JAPANBlue tinplate friction astronaut robot with astronaut head under a clear plastic dome surmounted with a rotating four arm antenna. The robot has twin air tanks with the wording X-15 on them. Crank action with an inertia waddling motion. Box says "Clear Plastic Helmet with Ray Counter". The ray counter is presumably the antenna. See also the X-2 variation.

MOON EXPLORER X-2 ASTRONAUT - YOSHIYA - JAPANBlue tinplate friction astronaut robot with astronaut head under a clear plastic dome surmounted with a rotating four arm antenna. The robot has twin air tanks with the wording X-2 on them. Crank action with an inertia waddling motion. Box says "Clear Plastic Helmet with Ray Counter". The ray counter is presumably the antenna. See also the X-15 variation.

There are colour variations of this robot ranging from dark green to near-black. Variation seems to be a characteristic of the paint. In addition there are two types of leg: one with the usual joining tabs, the other (above) with a pressed or crimped seam. The pressed seam version has been seen with a paper "Made in Japan" label instead of the more usual 'Y' logo stamped on the body between the legs. The dome is clear plastic with a distinct pink tinge, a unique feature.

Appears in the Bridgeport Telegram Oct 4 1960. The robot was still available in the Yonezawa catalog for 1963.

The three ribbons in the head are combinations of blue/yellow and red/yellow. Green/yellow is also known. The hands are hard rubber balls with a slot and are prone to cracking.

MR AMAZE-A-MATIC - HASBRO - USAA most unusual plastic battery operated robot. The robot has a clear plastic cylindrical body with a large circular black head perched on a slender tapering neck. The body contains odd hoop shaped plastic rods in a variety of colors. Long plastic arms reach down to the ground. A set of tracks allow it to move. The movement is controlled by plastic punch cards. It is possible to program a sequence of manoeuvres including running an obstacle course and retrieving various plastic objects. Dated 1970 on the box.

The same control punch card mechanism was used on Hasbro's Amaze-A-Matic cars.

MR ASTRONAUT - CRAGSTAN SALCO - HONG KONGPlastic battery op astronaut. Cragstan C logo on head. There is a distinctive wing emblem on the chest and a pair of doors below. Hong Kong 1960s. This box version has SALCO wording at the top. There is also a version with Cragstan wording. This robot is very similar to Zero of Space: the distinguishing feature is the silver "C" logo in the wing emblem.

Newspaper ad dating December 1969.

Salco Cragstan group.

MR ATOM - ADVANCE DOLL AND TOY CO - USAOne of the large plastic battery op robots of the 1950s. Walks with lights and sound. USA On sale in November 1956.

He has two settings. In the on mode he walks and moves this arms back and forth. There is a full power mode. He adds lighted eyes and dome. There is also a buzzer sound.

In the off mode you can push a switch and the eyes and dome light up along with the buzzer.

There is a metal bolt on the front chest plate and another in the same location on the back. The nut on the front and back are threaded on to a rod that keeps the front and back halves together. Just like on the "ears" there should also be a couple of O rings on the arm supports to keep them together . A lot of times these are missing from rubber rot over the years.
United States

MR ATOMIC - YONEZAWA - JAPANA lithographed tin battery operated robot. Mr Atomic is a distinctive robot. It is a essentially a cone-shaped robot with arms and feet. Head, legs and a face are totally lacking. A large clear dome covers a futuristic bank of twelve lights that look like an early computer display. Two clear plastic ears protrude from the head. Most robots have human shape but Mr Atomic is one of the most radical departures from this tradition; it's as close to a pure robot as the great robot manufacturers ever got.

Bump and go action with either a clicking noise (silver version with white feet) or a whistling sound (blue version with yellow feet). The feet tap up and down and there's a light show behind that screen. The box art is a plain but attractive depiction of the robot.

Mr Atomic featured in the 1962 Sears Christmas catalog, with a price tag of $6.79. Apparently it did not sell well and was soon withdrawn.

The bottom row shows two pictures the 9-light prototype.

MR ATOMIC PROTOTYPE - YONEZAWA - JAPANFeatured in a 1962 catalog and again in the Yonezawa 1963 catalog is this picture of a prospective Mr Atomic with some unusual features. The litho detailing is quite unique and there are only nine lights under the dome, as opposed to the sixteen of the production run. There are known examples of the nine light version, but an example with this lithography is not known.

The illustration suggests that a production model was not to hand when the catalog was printed (or that it changed prior to production). These "artist's impressions" are not uncommon and are often based on photos of factory prototypes.

MR HUSTLER - ROBOT HEAD VERSION - HORIKAWA - JAPANThis is a Mr Hustler robot with the addition of an Attacking Martian head with red fly eyes. Examples of this robot head version are known.

It would appear that Horikawa did not create a special box for this robot version but decided to use the astronaut box. To date no known box exists for the robot version. Mr Hustler in the usual astronaut version appears as a new item in the 1971 Horikawa catalog.

MR HUSTLER - ASTRONAUT VERSION - HORIKAWA - JAPANA black tin and plastic battery operated astronaut. The chest has a number of orange or abler plastic panels set in. Mr Hustler robot walks forward at slow pace with spinning lights in chest then stops. The unique feature is the fact that the sides of the robot including the arms partially detach from the body. These shoulders begin to flex in and out slowly then increase in speed. The robot then shakes for a moment then repeats the actions. Great light show and spacey sounds.

The Japanese Emperor date found on a factory sample dates this robot to 1970 but it first appears in the 1971 Horikawa Toy Catalog. #1035. It is marked "NEW" in this Horikawa catalog.

MR MACHINE FIRST VERSION - IDEAL - USAA large 45cm 18" clear plastic robot with an eccentric design. Visible motor. The robot was designed to be dismantled and reassembled. Wind up action. When the toy was wound up it would roll forward swinging its arms and repeatedly ringing a bell mounted on its front. Every few steps it would emit a mechanical "Ah!". Came with a wrench and extra nuts.

The first version was released in 1961. It was later released in a simplified version.

Patent: Inventor Marvin Glass United States

MR MACHINE LATER VERSION - IDEAL - USAA large 45cm 18" clear plastic robot with an eccentric design. Visible motor. This is a substantial reworking of the original Mr Machine: the robot can no longer be dismantled. Gone also is the bell, to be replaced by a whistling action: mr Machine actually whistles "This Old Man".

MR MERCURY - JUNIOR TOYS - JAPANMetallic red plastic battery operated robot, Galaxy style. Has a tin chest plate and tin bottoms on the blue plastic feet. Walks, flashing blue eyes, machine sound. There has been a simplification of the chest with the removal of the guns and their lighting action.

Two versions of the litho chest panel are known, one with an oval grill printed in the center (the same as shown on the box art) and one with a switch pattern in the center.

MR MERCURY, THREE VERSIONS - YONEZAWA - JAPANEarly 1960s Made by Yonezawa Japan sold by Marx or LineMar Toys Battery op by remote control , walks , bends over closes arms , picks things up and takes them away All 3 versions shown , first on left with illuminated chest panel and Mr Mercury name, non operating lamp on head , last gold version on right. 32cm FT#40

MR MERCURY, VERSION 1 - MARX/LINEMAR - JAPANA Yonezawa robot made for Marx. Battery op remote control with lifting action. It is not clear whether the idea of a robot with lifting arm originated here or with the Dux Astroman patented in 1959. This was, however, an innovative and successful robot that ran for at least five years.

The first version appears only for the 1961 season. It featured in the 1961 Sears Catalog. Its distinctive features are its grey body, white plastic tubular lower arms, the illuminated chest panel and the light in the head. The plastic arms and head light later disappear. The box art depicts the blue body and the white arms. It carries the wording "WITH LIGHT" that identifies it as the rarer first version.

The head is distinctive, consisting of a control room with tiny plastic occupants. It was reused in the Talking Robot and Jupiter Robot. The design of the much rarer Jupiter Robot draws heavily on Mr Mercury components.

MR MERCURY, VERSION 2 - MARX/LINEMAR - JAPANBattery op remote control robot. Walking action. Lifts objects. The original design for 1961 was altered slightly: the plastic lower arms have been replaced with more substantial and simpler metal ones and the light has been removed from the head. On some versions (not the one pictured here) the complex lighted chest logo has been replaced with a simpler litho logo. The color scheme is still the original grey body with blue arms.

The box art is the same as Version 1 with just the removal of the reference to a light. It still depicts the original plastic tubular arms. One can surmise that the changed arms are a simplification or a response to design problems with he original. The removal of the light might be either another simplification or a power saving measure. Reference to the Yonezawa manufacturer has been removed. This second, transitional version generated a number of variations as old parts were used up.

The third and final version of Mr Mercury, and the most common. The arms are the metal ones from version 2 but the color scheme is now gold with grey arms and legs. The chest lettering has changed again - a litho logo but with a different font. The circuit board on the chest has also been given a makeover.

The gold color Mr. Mercury appeared in both the 1963, 1964 and 1964 Sears catalogs, a much longer run than the earlier versions.

New box art was created for this third version (Versions 1 and 2 effectively share the same artwork)

MR MONSTER - PLAY VALUE - HONG KONGPlastic battery operated robot. Eight 8 legs. Its bizarre shape and eccentric walking action are its main attractions. The 10" plastic robot has eight legs and walks along with a strange vigorous striding action, the arms swing, the antenna spins and a light flashes inside the head. Two color versions are known: an orange-yellow-green combination and blue-white with gold hands. There are many slight variations based on these two schemes. The distinguishing feature of this particular version of robot is the large octagonal chrome silver plastic antenna.

Note: this robot is glued together making repairs virtually impossible.

The robot first appears in the 1970 Wards catalog as the Climbing Space Robot, though with the two-dish antenna.

MR PATROL - ASTRONAUT VERSION - HORIKAWA - JAPANA large black tinplate astronaut robot "With siren". The brightly lithographed chest plate has a clear red plastic panel above. The chest is designed like a meter with gauges on either side. The robot walks with lights and siren sound. The dome does not light. Red plastic feet. The robot advances, stops, raises his arms and makes a siren noise. The astronaut face is contained in the boxy head structur with chrome ears and a cylindrical yellow plastic dome.

At the fast end of the motor, the top, there is a sort of fanblade made of white nylon. This is surrounded by a cage with slots with the appropriate distance. This forms the siren. An intermittent gear arrangement makes a lid move over the top of the siren so changing its pitch.

There is a robot version of this toy. The astronaut version first appears in the 1968 Lewis Galoob Toy Catalog.

MR PATROL, ROBOT VERSION - HORIKAWA - JAPANA large black tinplate robot "With siren". The brightly lithographed chest plate has a clear red plastic panel above. The chest is designed like a meter with gauges on either side. The robot walks with lights and siren sound. The dome does not light. Red plastic feet. The robot advances, stops, raises his arms and makes a siren noise. The head structure is the familiar Horikawa boxy design with chrome ears and a cylindrical yellow plastic dome.

At the fast end of the motor, the top, there is a sort of fanblade made of white nylon. This is surrounded by a cage with slots with the appropriate distance. This forms the siren. An intermittent gear arrangement makes a lid move over the top of the siren so changing its pitch.

English and Japanese boxes shown.

There is an astronaut version of this robot that appears in the 1968 Lewis Galoob Toy Catalog. The robot version date is probably similar.

The chest has a large planetary gear containing three interlocking gears. The featureless head also contains interlocking plastic gears. Tapering legs. The quality of the plastic is appreciably better than that of later copies.

There is no battery cover for this robot: the batteries clip securely into the uncovered holder. The box has a perforated display panel which can be removed to better display the robot. Walking action withe swinging arms, rotating gears and a flashing light in the head.

The Yonezawa design is used elsewhere. The same legs and feet can be seen on several Mortoy plastic robots from Mort Alexander Ltd. Mr Planet is the original inspiration for the Spanish Robot Shepard from Jyesa & the various Looky aka Crystal Robots. The first sighting of Mr Planet is in the 1969-1970 M.W. Kasch Company (toy distributor) catalog, published in 1969. The box number 821 is consistent with this date.

MR RIVETHEAD - MULTIPLE TOYMAKERS - USAPlastic static Popapart robot. The robot is made of a series of plastic components of different colors. The base is primed by pressing a spring lever. When the trigger is pressed the robot pops apart. Window box. USA. On sale in December 1964.
United States